The Xbox 180 was one of the biggest packpedals in gaming history

2013 was a year that combined the DNA of both celebration and confusion into a gelatinous mass of uncertainty that is the games industry.

While I cheer at interactive media becoming a recognized form of entertainment — thanks to the televised efforts of award shows such as Spike’s VGX (formerly known as the VGAs) — I still remain confused over certain nominee categories. Are these awards supposed to reflect the quality of an individual console brand or are they a way to recognize the achievements of a development team as a whole?

When I consider “Best PlayStation Game” I think of specific game releases during that year for that particular console. In the case of 2013’s nominees, awarding this accolade to The Last of Us makes perfect sense as The Last of Us was a PS3 exclusive. But this year’s multi-platform releases — Tomb Raider, GTA V, and Rayman Legends — somehow managed to tuck themselves into the same award category nomination.

I mean the self-explanatory ones, Best Voice-Actor and Best Song in Game, I have no issue with as the winners are being recognized for an award-specific achievement. Where is the logic in this format though? Because I really don’t see it.

With that out of the way, I would like to close off the year with a list (of no particular ranking) that retells my picks for 2013’s video game hits and misses.

Best backpedal – Xbox One

The Xbox One’s premium OneGuide features still don’t have a Canadian release date.

There can only be one winner for the most memorable back-pedal of 2013, the pre-launch shuffle of Microsoft’s Xbox One. Can you really blame them though? With foreboding promises of an always-online console in addition to purposefully vague DRM practices, it’s no wonder that the Xbox community banded together and screamed “we don’t want this!”

Whatever transpired behind corporate headquarters afterwards ended up being something of a miracle. What I would really like to find out is how the Xbox One console development team thought these practices were a good fit to begin with.

During the precious months after the PS4’s reveal, the powers-that-be at Microsoft listened to these cries and proceeded with their launch plans of a next-generation console that, for better or worse, now closely resembles its arch nemesis.

Thinking back about it now, it would have been quite the experiment to see how well the One would have been received had Microsoft insisted on sticking with its controversial policies, as a part of a unique, new, Xbox experience.

Worst Reboot – Tomb Raider

You’ll be using a bow quite frequently in Tomb Raider.

Ah Tomb Raider, you showed so much promise in the trailers leading up to your release and yet somehow you’ve managed to morph into a certain tomb-raiding, third-person action game that I recall having played already: The Uncharted franchise.

When this project was first announced, I was behind the idea of an origin story for one of gaming’s most recognized faces that downplayed the “girl with a gun” image in favour of a tale diving into Lara’s previously uncharted character back story.

Sounds awesome, right?

The final product managed to pull me into this idea of a new Lara for the first couple of hours, but then came the moment when Ms. Croft (spoilers) kills her first human enemy, and it all falls apart at this point. The gal’s synapses kick into overdrive and she proceeds to, and I quote, “Kill every last one of you!”

The game contains absolutely no entertaining drama and very little tension. It eventually amounts to a bunch of character archetypes stuck on a haunted island crawling with baddies, collectibles and action game set-pieces.

Most disappointing delay -South Park: The Stick of Truth

Fan of the series will recognize some of the series’ iconic locations.

I did not (and still don’t) expect South Park: The Stick of Truth to break precious ground on the next-gen front. It’s a South Park game poised to deliver a sure-to-be-talked-about role-playing experience set in a certain mountain town that many of us are familiar with.

So why am I harping? It’s because I thought that this year would have finally been the time for this long-awaited title to grace us with Obsidian’s trademarked, bug-filled fury.

It may have floored some audiences. But I was expecting something a little less shootery from this first-person-shooter. In fact, I was more drawn into the game’s first-person cutscenes that involved no shooting at all.

Now don’t get me wrong, there were some really great storytelling segments strewn throughout Infinite’s experience. Unfortunately, these were placed so far between drawn out shooting arenas that the emotional impact the previous sections was lost by the time you reached the next revelation.

Most Surprising Release – Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

AC IV is filled with swashbuckling pirate awesomeness.

I’ve been on the boat (har har) criticizing the Assassin’s Creed franchise for overstaying its welcome for far too long. I mean, how many time periods can you possibly leap through while plotting out a story full of religous references for controversy’s sake? Too long. Especially if an annual release cycle becomes the rumoured norm for this series.

When Black Flag was initially announced, I snorted and filed it under, “Oh great, another one so soon?” And thought nothing of it. Then I played it, and my heart immediately warmed up to love this pseudo-reboot-sequel of a game.

Edward makes for a great new lead character and is easily my favourite Assassin of the bunch. Black Flag’s locales were vibrant, lively and exploring the open seas was a much needed change of pace from constantly running about (the sea chants were a nice touch too).

I don’t know how, but somehow this one hit the mark as the best entry in the series yet. Oh and the game also featured pirates!